Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Al-Anfaal, Ayah 31

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالُوا۟ قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَٰذَآ ۙ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

And when Our verses are recited to them, they say, "We have heard. If we willed, we could say [something] like this. This is not but legends of the former peoples."

Common Words

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وإذا1x

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Ibn Abbas Commentary

(And when Our revelations) detailing commands and prohibitions (are recited unto them) to al-Nadr Ibn al-Harth and his companions (they say: We have heard) what Muhammad (pbuh) has said. (If we wish we can speak the like of this) the like of what Muhammad (pbuh) recites. (Lo! This) which Muhammad (pbuh) says (is naught but fables) tales (of the men of old) and their stories.

Other Scholars on This Ayah

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View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 8:31→

And when Our verses namely the Qur’ān were being recited to them they said ‘We have already heard! If we wish we can speak the like of this — al-Nadr b. al-Hārith said this for he used to travel on trading business to al-Hīra where he would buy books containing the tales of the Persians and would recount these to the Meccans; this Qur’ān is nothing but the fables the lies of the ancients’.

Related Hadiths

Sahih Muslim#3963Sahih

We narrate what we have heard.

Narrated by 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) (Allah be pleased with him) said that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) cursed the one who accepted interest and the one who paid it I asked about the one who recorded it, and two witnesses to it. He (the narrator) said:

Sunan Ibn Majah#4104Da'if

We said to Zaid bin Arqam: 'Tell us a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' He said: 'We have grown old and have forgotten, and (narrating) Ahadith from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is difficult (not...

Narrated by It was narrated that 'Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Laila said:

Sunan Ibn Majah#4106Sahih

"I heard Ibn 'Abbas saying: 'We used to memorize Ahadith, and Ahadith were memorized from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). But if you go to the extremes of either exaggeration or negligence (in narrating A...

Narrated by It was narrated from Ibn Tawus that his father said:

Sahih Muslim#4077Sahih

A hadith like this have been narrated on the authority of Nafi', who based his narrations of the words of Ibn 'Umar but with a slight variation of words.